We had an incredible exclusive sit-down
with two of the most revered names in Japanese pop culture.
Hideyuki Kikuchi is the creator of the seminal (anti-) hero
Vampire Hunter D, one of the best-known manga and anime characters ever
seen on US shores.
Yoshitaka Amano is responsible for the look of
D, as well as artwork and designs for the video games series
Final
Fantasy, Neil Gaimanís
Sandman: The Dream Hunters, and the character
designs for one of LMDís favourite anime ever,
Gatchaman.

Dig in as we talk to the hand.

Yoshitaka Amano and Hideyuki Kikuchi

The
Lady Miz Diva: Kikuchi-san, youíve mentioned before that you are a big
movie fan. I wondered if Vampire Hunter D was inspired by any
particular film or movie character?

Hideyuki Kikuchi:
He was based on Christopher Leeís interpretation of Count Dracula, so
his unearthly beauty was intended to land the female fans and it worked
{Laughs}

LMD: So my question would be
when you first saw Amano-sanís depiction of D, was it satisfactory?

HK:
{Laughs} Itís not a
matter of being satisfied or not, but being surprised. It was
definitely a great illustration, but somewhat different from the image I
had inside myself of D as being a somewhat rougher character.

LMD: Did you find that after
you had seen Amano-sanís work, that you changed the character a little
bit to suit the type of character he had drawn?

HK:
No, not really. From the very start, Iíve had a very firm idea of D and
his character, so I havenít had to change him at all.

LMD: Getting back to movie
influences, you have also mentioned that your novel Demon City Shinjuku
was inspired by Escape From New York, I wondered what other films have
influenced your work?

HK:
Tons of movies have influenced me in addition to the ones that I
mentioned, of course D being heavily influenced by Shane. But in
another one of the stories, part of it was based on the battle scenes
from Lord of the Rings. Iím influenced by all kinds of films, love
stories, gangster movies, war movies and westerns. Some of the funnier
things that are said and done in the dialog have been influenced by the
kind of dialog you find in Hollywood movies.

LMD: Does Vampire Hunter D have
an end? Could you finish it tomorrow if you wanted to?

HK:
Yes, Iíve already decided what the end is. So, whatís in the middle I
havenít decided yet, {but} I know what the end is.

LMD: Youíve written over 300
stories and novels. Do you never get writerís block?

HK:
Itís not a case that I donít have writerís block. I do have problems
coming up with ideas, but I often use the same idea in different
situations in different books with different twists.

LMD: I wondered if Kikuchi-san
and Amano-san have ever collaborated on the artistic details of the
beautiful illustrations Amano-san provides for the Vampire Hunter D
novels?

HK:
We donít have any collaboration on that aspect. Itís the editor that
decides what they want illustrated.

LMD: Amano-san, what is it like
to take someoneís literary work and interpret it visually? Do you ever
worry about what the author will think?

Yoshitaka Amano:
Well, heís sitting right next to me at the moment {Both laugh},
so Iím kind of scared. Iíll read Kikuchi-sanís book before I do the
illustration, so itís not coming out of me. So whether it comes looking
good or not, it did come from his world.

LMD: Youíve also worked with
other authors like Neil Gaiman on a book in his Sandman series, is it
always that case that you never work with them on what you will draw?

YA:
Really, I donít have that sort of contact with the writers, at all. We
might get together socially, but we never discuss that aspect of it.

LMD: It seems to be very
successful.

YA:
The real test of whether it succeeds or not is whether the books sell.
Thatís what Kikuchi-san says! {Laughs}

{Kikuchi laughs and shakes
his head in denial}

LMD: Now hearing about how the editor has power over what is seen
in a novel, what it is like for each of you to have your work, which you are
so creatively invested in, handled by a
third party?

HK:
Of course, when Iím writing my books, there are scenes where I think I
would really like to have Amano-san do a picture for this, but I really
donít have a choice but to let the editor decide that.

YA:
Iím not all that satisfied with it. Often, it purely comes down to the
pacing of the book. Itís purely on page count, not on ĎThis would be a
great scene,í but ĎWeíre X number of pages into the book and we need one
here.í So there are times when I would like to push it backward or
forward a little bit to find a better scene. Itís easy enough to draw
them, but there are some pictures that just plain donít get finished.

LMD: Is time also a factor in
the choices of illustrations?

YA:
Itís not so much a matter of that as the timing within the book. There
are some things that I would like to draw, but where the illustration is
going to fall in the book you canít show it yet, because it hasnít
happened yet and it would be giving away the story. So, there are just
too many scenes in each book that would make a good picture that itís a
problem for it.

LMD:
Kikuchi-san, have you been surprised at the reaction American fans have
had for your creation?

HK:
Iím very surprised. To be honest, I didnít think weíd see the kinds of
numbers, the kinds of sales that we have seen. It was always my dream
to release a book in English and now that dream has come true.

LMD: How do you feel about the
two Vampire Hunter D anime films the two that have been released.

HK: I
should make Amano-san answer first, so he canít use his ďme, too,Ē
response! {Both laugh} The first one, I wasnít completely satisfied with
the way it came out, but as soon as it hit the theatres, sales of D went
through the roof, so I found it very effective. As for the second one,
Bloodlust, I consider it to be among the top class of animation in
Japan.

LMD: May I ask Amano-san for
something other than a ďme, tooĒ?

YA:
Me, too! Actually, I know the head of the company that made the first
animation from my time at Tatsunoko. In general, when I look at
animation, I can pretty much tell from the look of it who worked on it
and looking at Kawajiri-sanís work {Yoshiaka Kawajiri, director of
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust} you can tell that heís perfect for
this.

LMD: Amano-san Iíd like to ask
about your time in the Tatsunoko Productions animation company. What
did working there as long as you did as a young man starting out teach
you about commercial art? Making something palatable for a wide
audience?

YA:
When I was designing characters for TV animation, I quickly learned that
the important thing was getting the viewership. Getting the viewership
numbers, that was the most important thing. When I was working at
Tatsunoko, I wasnít necessarily the only young guy. There were a lot of
young guys, a lot of young people working there and at Tatsunoko, unlike
some of the other studios; everything was an original production, an
original idea that theyíd come up with. So, the people who were working
on this were putting their own interests and their own influences into
the work, not just me, but the other artists and the writers, so I was
putting my love of American comics into the series other people were
putting the things they loved into the series, too.

LMD: I have to ask about
Gatchaman, which was one of the first anime that got me and many others
into anime. What went into the creation of some of those characters?
In particular, Iím curious about the character of Berg Katse, who was
the first hermaphrodite many American children ever saw.

YA:
At the time, even more than now, there was a huge influence from
America, American art American rock, the psychedelic movement, and so
that had a large influence on it.

LMD: Berg Katse is definitely
psychedelic.

YA:
Yes, he is.

LMD:
Currently there is a major movie project in the works for Gatchaman by
ImagiAnimation Studios. Are you surprised at the interest that show
still generates?

YA:
Yes, I was surprised. When we were doing it at the time, we had no idea
it was even going to be shown overseas. We were just really focused,
just desperate to get this weekís episode out, next weekís episode. We
were taking it week by week. But the people who saw it back in the day,
or were influenced by it, now so many years have passed and now theyíre
all in positions of power. Theyíre on the production end, now, and
theyíre doing the things that they loved doing the things that they were
influenced by.

LMD: What do you think Dís
enduring appeal is? What do you think that rings with people about them?

HK:
With D, everything went exactly as I planned where I made this character
the kind of man that there is nowhere on earth, heís cold and beautiful
and strong on top of that.

LMD: Amano-san, Iíd like to ask
you about your artwork and gallery shows. Kikuchi-san has told us some
of his cinematic influences as a writer, what are some of yours as an
artist?

YA:
Andy Warhol. I love Andy Warhol. These days, thereís no one because
Iím so busy doing my own stuff. {Laughs}

LMD: And also about your art,
Murakami is talked about in an almost cynical sense by art critics
because of his exploitation of anime culture. Are you at all worried
about comparisons to his work since anime is such a huge part of your
gallery shows?

YA:
Yes, itís exactly what you said! Iím drawing them because theyíre part
of my history. Theyíre my memories of, if not my youth, then my younger
days; so Iím drawing them for myself. But because of my present
situation, Iím able to exhibit them in galleries, but they are personal
for me and theyíre part of my life experience.

LMD: Will we ever have another
gallery show in New York?

YA:
{Laugh} Yes, yes, please!

{Both laugh}

~ The Lady Miz Diva

Sept 27th, 2008

Special Blessings to the
wonderful Kevin
Leahy, translator of all the English-language versions of the
Vampire Hunter D novels for his invaluable help and kindness. Most
special thanks, hugs, praise and chocolate kisses to the ever-luvviní
Peter Tatara,
who Iím sure hides his wings under his natty suits.